Kathy Delaney Applique Quilts

I’m just home from International Quilt Market in Houston!  I’m exhausted but happy.  And I’ve got lots of news!

On Friday I was up at 4 a.m. to make a 7:30 a.m. flight to Houston.  I traveled with the owner of Prairie Point Quilts in Shawnee, KS, Carol Kirchhoff.  I had an ulterior motive for going (more about that later) but wore several hats while there.

The weather in the middle of the country wasn’t the most cooperative on Friday.  Our flight from Kansas City to Houston (a fairly straight shot south, usually) was by way of Memphis this time in order to avoid the turbulence.  It only delayed us about 1/2 an hour.  And for a smoother flight, I didn’t mind!  (I talked with a gal from Omaha who took an extra 6 hours to get there due to the weather!)

So Friday afternoon we spent our time in School House.  This is an opportunity to see demonstrations and examples of new products, patterns, books and fabric.  I saw some very interesting people and products.  It was a good way to get acclimated and plan out the next day on the Market floor.

Wow!  Talk about a floor!  I understand the exhibit hall for the vendors is about the size of 3 football fields.  There were something like 23 isles!  Well there are 2249 “booths.”  I don’t know how many vendors, but I sure wouldn’t doubt there were easily 1500!  (Some take double spaces and some take up as many as 10 – that would be the fabric companies.)  Anyway, it took 2 days to see everything!

One of the hats I wore was for Colonial Needle.  Many of you know, because you’ve taken a workshop with me, I have a wonderful relationship with Jim Collingham, the president of Colonial Needle.  He is very generous with my classes and sends me needles and Needle Grip-Its to pass out to my students whenever I ask.  So I certainly wanted to visit with him in person to thank him again for his generosity.

Another hat I wore was for Prairie Point Quilts in Shawnee.  I work there and teach.  So I was on the look-out for products or patterns or ideas I thought would contribute to my classes at Prairie Point.  I found a few things that I’m very excited about and will be testing to see if they will be my new “favorites.”  As I test the products, I’ll share with you my thoughts.  So “stay tuned” as I become familiar enough with the products to share.

Here’s Carol (owner of Prairie Point) and me at the dinner put on by Moda Fabrics.  What a Shindig!  Sit down dinner for easily 1000!

I am so proud of the fact that I am a National Artisan for Bernina of America.  So I put on my Bernina hat and made a stop at the Bernina booth to visit a moment with Jeanne Delpit.  Jeanne is the Director of National Events and is probably one of THE most upbeat and happy people I’ve ever met.  Whenever I see her and ask how things are, she always says “Terrific!” even at the end of a week’s retreat with 150 National Artisans!  I just love her.  So I always look for her whenever I see a Bernina booth at a big quilt show.  By the way, as a National Artisan for Bernina, I have the honor of teaching in Bernina stores.  So if you have a Bernina store and would like for me to come, let’s TALK!  I’d love to come!

Someone I consider a special friend is Alex Anderson.  She stayed with me while almost a week in Kansas City many years ago.  She loves to tell the story of her visit.  Her son had just gone off to College.  Alex kept trying to reach him and I could tell she was getting more and more worried.  I tried to convince her she shouldn’t worry – certainly he was in the Library, studying.

So I was delighted to run into Alex.  She was everywhere!  She was at the C&T booth, promoting her new book on machine and hand appliqué, at the Brewers Sewing booth, at Bernina of America.  She was in the P&B booth promoting her new line of fabric.  She was with Ricky Tims in the AccuQuilt booth promoting the new Go! system for accurately cutting patchwork shapes.  AND she was, with Ricky, promoting the new AQS magazine, The Quilt Life.  And, of course, she was promoting The Quilt Show.  And that’s all I knew about!  She had in hand a list of places to be and the times and was on the move constantly!  (And I thought I was tired!)

Someone I hadn’t seen in awhile was Marianne Fons!  I happened upon her in the Prym booth.  It was fun catching up with her, too!  And she was looking good!  She told me she’s been getting into gardening.  I’ve heard other people refer to the rejuvenating benefits of gardening.

By the end of the second day I was getting pretty tired!  But I was having a good time and wouldn’t have missed it for anything!

Sunday I finished with my travels through the Market.  This time I got to spend some time with Lynne Hagmier.  She’s the designer for Kansas Troubles.  She is one of the most down to earth individuals I know.  I just love her outlook on life.  So here you see Lynne’s booth.  She was just across from the Moda Fabric booth.

I also was able to visit with Jo Morton.  Don’t you love her fabric and patterns?  I was so tickled running into her, I forgot to get a picture!

I had the best time at Market.  I got to talk to people about what they are doing, about new products, about Baltimore on the Prairie, even!  I’m looking forward to going again!

So let me recoup, let me play with the new products I brought home and I’ll come back tell you about what I found and if I like it or not.

Until next time…

Kathy

This entry was posted on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 11:11 pm and is filed under Kathy Delaney Applique Quilts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.